We had a much needed vacation this weekend. There was a big concert down in New Orleans called Voodoo Fest that a few of our friends down in Arkansas were going to and when we found out who was playing we just had to go. There was a bit of a hick up at the last minute when I discovered the flight I scheduled a month prior was for 7PM and not 7AM. Oops. To make matters worse there were no other flights available. We sucked it up though and made the fourteen hour drive all night long so we could get there on time.

The concert was great, stock full of the usual hippies and other people from random walks of life you don’t normally run into when you’re in the military. We also spent some time in the French Quarter, which was much more laid back then the last time we were there. It was pretty eye opening just seeing the coastal area. It’s still in shambles from Katrina nearly two years later. And when I say shambles I don’t mean stuff lying around here and there, I mean there are still entire neighborhoods lying around in piles completely abandoned. We drove by what used to be an upscale coastal village of home on stilts on the north shore of Lake Pontatrain and the entire thing was just swept away. Not one house remained. It was humbling.

We spent way more money than I planned and spent way too much time driving, but had a blast all the same. I wish life let us get away more often like this. No wonder rich people’s children are so happy.